Love You, for now
by Dakota Stratus
Summary: (FIN)Its pretty much about the Chris JerichoTrish Stratus storyline(that once was)...tear The final Chapter is Up...(FIN)
1. Default Chapter

Trish Stratus stepped out of the rental car in Long Island New York on a cold and snowy day. She looked around and saw a few fans standing there. 'Wow, they must really be loyal to be here to see me in this weather.' She had to sign a few of their pictures, and when she was finally done, she walked into the nice and toasty arena. She smiled, at the sight of her best friend Lita and followed her to their locker room. Once they got there she set down her bags, as Lita told her the plan for Raw later on that now.  
  
"Well, you heard what he said last week. You know what he really feels for you, so why can't you just forgive him?"  
  
"I'm not so sure, I mean, I still don't think that he's truthful. I can't explain it. Its hard to explain something about someone who you really care about, because, its just so confusing when you thought something else all along, ya know?" She sighed and then walked over to her bag to take out her wrestling gear for the night. She couldn't decide on which outfit to pick, so she just randomly chose one, and then hung it up.  
  
"Trish, I think I know what your problem is. You just can't admit to yourself that he has truly changed. He's changed for you, girl. Just open your eyes and realize it." Lita looked over at Trish and saw that she had tears in her eyes. She walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Don't worry, you'll see what I mean, trust me."  
  
"Thanks Lita. You're always there for me. God, you're the greatest. Let's go down to the cafeteria and get something to munch on before the show okay?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me."  
  
Lita and Trish grabbed a few bucks from each of their purses and left the locker room. They walked down the hall and ran into Lilian Garcia. And there she saw him standing there with Christian.  
  
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Chris was talking to Christian as he saw her walk up. It was just last week that he thought he had confessed his true love for her. Then he saw her catch his gaze, and she just turned away. 'Why must she continue to do this. She knows that it was all real. I do want to be apart of her life.'  
  
"Dude, are you here? Its like you're lost or something. Did you hear a word of what I just said to you?"  
  
"Yeah Christian, sorry. Just thinking about stuff. So anyways, about tonight. What's the plan?"  
  
Christian continued talking to Chris, but he didn't care. He just sat there thinking about being with her. It was some of the best times he's ever spent with anyone in his entire life. He missed that. He missed being with her every night after the show, and every weekend. He also missed calling her on her phone, and even if she didn't answer, he missed hearing her voicemail. He missed every little moment of that. And he knew as hard as he tried it was going to take forever to get her back. Probably even longer. But no matter what, he was going to keep on trying. Until he got her back, he would stop at nothing. He needed to be with her, and thats what he was going to do.  
  
"Hey Christian, I think I'm going to go for a little walk. Do you mind taking my bag to the locker room please?"  
  
"No prob C-Man, I'll see you later." Christian patted him on the shoulder and then walked away. He was glad that he was finally away from him for once in the past week. He was just a tad annoying ever since the bet, and he knew that he had had enough. He just didn't know how to tell him that he was choosing Trish over him.  
  
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When they go to the cafeteria, Trish and Lita got some chips, and a few drinks. They spotted Stacy sitting all alone at the table, so they went and joined her. She looked a tad upset, so of course they asked her what was wrong.  
  
"Hey Stacy, are you okay? You seem..." Trish started, but was interuppted by Stacy.  
  
"I'm fine Trish. Its just that Test and I had a bit of an alltercation, and I really, don't wanna talk about it. Thanks anyways girls." Stacy started to get up from the table, but before she could walk away, Lita grabbed her by the arm.  
  
"You're coming back to our locker room. And you're gonna be alright, okay? We'll make sure of that. Just come on."  
  
The 2 blonds and redhead made their way back to the locker room. Trish spied Chris walking around in the hall, and told the girls she'd meet them there. She walked over to Chris, and started talking, but the words she was looking for just couldn't seem to come out.  
  
"Chris, look, I saw what you had to say last week..and I don't know how to put this. You mean a lot to me, and you have for like awhile. But I don't know how to trust you Chris. I just, don't think I can right now. God, I'm acting so childish right now."  
  
"Trish, its okay babe. I know that its gonna be hard to trust me for a long time, and I know how stupid I was to even make that bet in the first place. If you never trust me again, I truly understand. But everything I said last week was the truth. I want to be apart of your life." He brushed her hair back out of her face, and moved it behind her ear. "I want to be there for you. And I wanna be there after you have a great match. I honestly can't picture my life without you right now."  
  
Trish pulled back away from him. Tears were starting to come to her eyes, and she couldn't look at him any longer. She turned away, but he pulled her back. She tugged away and then took off a fast pace down the hall. When she got to the locker room, she ran into the bathroom and sat there. Lita and Stacy tried coming in, but she told them that she would be out later.  
  
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He didn't understand why she had come to talk to him in the first place. He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I don't understand what I have to do. She's making this harder than it already is.' He walked back down the hall and towards his locker room to get ready for Raw. It started in about 4 hours, but he needed to be ready. Just in case he needed to be there. Once he got there he found Christian on the phone with their boss, Eric Bischoff.  
  
"Thanks Eric, you're the best. I'll see you in a few hours, man." Christian hung up the phone, and spotted Chris walking in. "Hey C-Man, you feel better? You were kind of out of it earlier."  
  
"Yeah, just fine, just had to clear my mind. A lot of things have been running through my mind."  
  
"Chris, you need to get over Trish. If she's playing hard to get, what's the sense in chasing a girl who doesn't want you. Move on, its about time to." He looked at Chris, and smiled. Chris gave him a dirty look and Christian knew that he wasn't about to give up on her.  
  
"Christian you don't understand. I want to be with her more than anything. Obviously you've never felt like this for anyone, so what do you care? Is it a problem that I, Chris Jericho, am into someone more than myself?"  
  
"Whoa, calm down man, don't get all defensive. I didn't know you cared that much."  
  
"Obviously you don't know a lot about the way I'm feeling." Chris saw the confused look on Christians face, and rolled his eyes. "Look man, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do anymore. She can't even look at me with a straight face anymore without tearing up. I can't believe I hurt her. Why did we have to be so immature to even start a bet? Are we that stupid?"  
  
"Well, I got into this bet to win a dollar. That obviously isn't what you wanted after you're first kiss now is it? Look, I can see your unhappy, so I'm just gonna go talk to some people. I'll be back later. See ya."  
  
Christian left the room and Chris just sat back on the couch. How could Christian be so naïve? He didn't care about anyone but himself. And it was gonna change, soon. 


	2. After Raw

Hope ya enjoy! Keep reviewing! ----------------------------------------------------------:----------------- -------------------------------------------- After Raw went off the air, Stacy, Lita, and Trish went out to grab a bite of dinner. Trish was still kind of bummed about not being able to talk to Chris after his match. She truly didn't mean to cause him to lose; she just wanted to make sure Jazz didn't. She was extremely pissed off that Teddy Long put his hands on her. No man in his right mind would ever do that to a woman. Obviously he wasn't. As Trish was starring off into space, Lita and Stacy went out on the dance floor and were having a fun time. Trish's good friend, Rob Van Dam walked in and sat down next to her.  
  
"Hey Trish, what's up?" Rob asked the beautiful blond. Obviously she didn't see him sitting there next to her. "Hello, earth to Trish, are you in there?" He waved his hand in front of her face, and snapped out of her trance.  
  
"Yeah, sorry. Hi Rob. Sorry about you not winning last night. It was a great match." Trish gave Rob the, 'I'm sorry' eyes, and he just shrugged her off.  
  
"Nah, its alright. How are you holdin' up. I saw what went on between you and Chris earlier. I still think he's up to something. I mean, come on, he saved you two times, and then this week, he leaves the arena before you even have a chance to talk to him. I honestly think that now, he's playing with yo---."  
  
"Rob, thanks for trying to come to a conclusion, but I don't know anymore. I talked to him before the show, and he didn't seem like it was that way. Well, I really didn't talk to him, I kind of just, it's hard to explain." Trish sighed and took a sip of her drink. Stace and Lita came back from the dance floor and spied Rob sitting with Trish.  
  
"Hi Rob," both the girls exclaimed. They looked kind of worn out, like they were tired. They asked Trish to join them, but she said she was too beat, after being in a fight with Jazz two times that night. They told her she needed to get over it, and just come have some fun, but she just ignored them, and began thinking once again, about Chris...  
  
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Christian sitting at the bar as Chris came back from the bathroom. He had two girls on either arm, and asked Chris if he wanted one.  
  
"Maybe later C. I'm just, kind of tired. I'm going to head back to the hotel, so I'll see you later. Bye" He started walking off and Christian just starred in amazement.  
  
"Alright C-Man, I'll talk to you later." And at that, Chris disappeared in the crowd. He walked out to his rental, and got in. 'Why did I even come out tonight? I knew I wasn't going to have any fun. I shouldn't even have listened to Christian. Trish is not a broad. She's a gentle and caring person, and she knows how to be respectful. Unlike that assclown, who of course, is always thinking of himself.' He started up the engine, and drove back to the hotel. Once he got there he found Stone Cold Steve Austin on his ATV. 'He's always on that thing. I don't see why the board...' And that was it. He knew what Trish meant by wanting him to change. When she wanted him to change. He was one of the main people who wanted Steve Austin off of Raw, and Trish knew it. That's what he had to do. He had to prove to her, that he has changed. But how would he do that? Didn't he prove that each time he came down to save her? Well obviously Christian was right about one thing. She was just trying to get back at him.Or was she? Was she really trying to ruin his match? 'Damn, this is so hard. Why can't it just go back to the way it was before she found out about the bet?'  
  
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: The Next Morning: Trish picked up her cell phone to check her messages the next morning. She had a few on there so she decided to listen.  
  
"Hi Trish, its Lita. I'm just calling to tell ya that Stace and I are going shopping around the city before that signing I have later tonight. Well, call me back if you wanna come. Talk to ya later girlie."  
  
She deleted that one and made a mental note to call Lita back. She did want to go shopping, and yesterday was kind of an off day. So why not go out and buy a pair of shoes? She did owe it to herself. She'd been so depressed lately that she hadn't had the chance to get out for once. The signing last night she had at midnight, could've gone a lot better than it did. She stayed with Stone Cold pretty much the entire time. She was not even looking at Chris at all, so why did she have to be next him. Then she heard the next message on her phone, and was kind of taken aback...  
  
"Umm, hey Trish. Its Chris. Look about last night during Raw. The reason I came down to save you is because I couldn't stand to see anyone hurt you. Not like its compared to what I did, but nobody should even lay a finger on you. Anyways, next week, I really want to talk to you, so if you don't mind, come find me, or I'll find you, or we'll find each other. Oh and Trish..." Before he could finish, the message cut him off. 'Great, now I won't know what else he needed. Damn phone.' She threw it down without even listening to the rest of them. She took a 1/2 hour shower, and then went out with Lita and Stacy.  
  
When she got to the mall, Stacy gave her a hug. "Wow, you're looking a lot better than you did last night. Feel as good as you look?" Trish flashed her pearly whites at Stace, and just sighed.  
  
"Don't I wish I felt as good as I look. I feel 10 times worse than I did last night. He called me ya know. He asked me to meet him somewhere next week to talk. But I don't know."  
  
"Wait!" Stacy got this really confused look on her face. "Didn't you talk to him when I told you to last night Trish?"  
  
"Well, I tried, but he wasn't there. I have no idea where he went, and right now I don't care. I don't even want to think about that, I just want to have a girls day out, and buy new shoes. Is that a crime?"  
  
"Nope, not at all," Lita finally chimed in. She'd been quite ever since Trish had gotten there, and finally she spoke up. Trish just laughed at her, and then the three went to work, hitting every store in the mall...  
  
°Kind of got stuck, but hey, I pulled through! Next chapter will be up either Monday before Raw, or Sunday.you decide! 


	3. What You Really Want?

She stood in the back watching the mini Rumble match. She couldn't help but cheer for everyone but him. This is the way it had to be. He was finally giving up on her, and that's what she wanted...Or was it? She'd spent all last week thinking about what she was going to tell him if she saw him this week, but then, Christian. Why did he have to remind her, that Chris was getting over her? Why did he have to show her those pictures? What did Alexis have that she didn't? She turned her head back to the monitor and saw that Chris had just been eliminated. She saw him walking in from the gorilla position, and started the other way.  
  
"Trish! Trish wait!" Chris hollered after her, but she didn't budge. She wasn't going to listen to him now. Not after what Christian said. Two can play his game. She walked back to her locker room where Lita and Stacy were talking about where they were going out later that night. Lita was the first to acknowledge that Trish had walked into the room.  
  
"Trish, where've you been? We've been waiting for you to get here before we decided where we were going to go." Lita looked over at Trish, and saw that she had tears streaming down her cheeks. Lita and Stacy both walked over to her and sat her down.  
  
"He's finally over me you guys."  
  
Stacy sighed and then looked at Trish. "I thought I told you to talk to him last week Trish? Maybe he wouldn't be over you, as you put it. But I thought that this was what you wanted."  
  
"I did try to talk to him. I went to his locker room, and he wasn't there. So then this week, Christian, ugh, he makes me sick. He showed me pictures of Chris and the girl he went home with. I did want him to be over me, but this whole jealousy thing has finally gotten to me. Those pictures, ugh, its like, that was once me, and it could still be me, but I couldn't see that he was real."  
  
"Trish, when Matt and I were together, I thought it was for real. Then, ya know, when he came to Raw, I found out the truth. But with you and Chris, I saw it, even when we found out about the bet, I saw it in him that he was the real deal, and he'd really fallen for you. I wish I had more advice, but you know, I've had trouble in that department." Lita patted Trish on the back, as Trish just smiled. Lita was always right, so why didn't Trish see this like she had? Was it so, unobvious to Trish that maybe someone could've fallen for her? Like Jeff? Oh no, she wasn't going to think about Jeff right now. Chris and Jeff had to be the last things on her mind before the night was over, and that was her goal. 'If he can have fun, and hang out with other girls, then I can go find some other guy.' -----------------------------------------------------------------:---------- --------------------------------------------------------------- What was wrong? Why hadn't she responded when he'd yelled to her? Chris brushed his hair back out of his face, and leaned up against the wall. Christian was running up to him and stopped and panted a bit, because he was out of breath.  
  
"Dude, I saw what just happened. That number 30 spot should've had your name on it. Even though, I could've used it, it doesn't matter anymore. Hey, I saw Trish in the hall earlier, and I just to show her that picture of you and Alexis. Boy was she pissed off. But you're over her man, and that's that. She's out of your mind."  
  
"Why did you do that Christian? Do you think she would seriously be off my mind? I fell for her Christian, and I want to be with her. I can't believe I let you talk me into coming back to the bar after the signing...I just don't know what to say to you anymore. First you want me to use my Survivor Series favor on you, and now this. Yeah, I'm going back to the hotel, don't bother calling me later, because I won't answer my phone."  
  
Chris went back to his locker room, grabbed his bags, and left the arena without even changing from his wrestling tights to his street clothes. 'Who cares anyways? I don't give a damn if I get sick, so what the hell.' Chris walked out to his car, and got in. He slammed his fists on the steering wheel, and then drove back to the hotel. He hadn't checked his messages in a week, but it didn't matter. He knew Trish wasn't going to call him back. Why did he even leave that message on her voice mail? Its not like she wanted anything to do with him anyways. He needed to forget about Christian, and forget about Trish. 'Its harder than it seems since I work with the both of them.' -----------------------------------------------------------:---------------- --------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday Night, 1/21/03, House Show  
  
While Chris was in the locker room preparing for his match, he ran into Stacy Keibler, one of Trish's best friends. He knew Stacy would talk to Trish for him. He walked up to Stacy, but she gave him the look, and turned to finish what she was doing.  
  
"Look Stacy, I really need a favor from you."  
  
"And what's that Chris? Sleep with you so you could win a dollar? Or is it two now? You know what, I can't believe you. First you break one of my best friends hearts, and now you're after me. Thanks Chris, what a real man."  
  
"No, Stace, that's honestly not what I'm talking about. Stacy, I do care about Trish, and I know that I'm so inconsiderate, and god, if I could take it all back, I would, in a heartbeat. Please believe me Stacy, all I want you to do is talk to Trish. Just tell her that, I miss her."  
  
"Look Chris, I know you really care for her, but I don't think she'll listen to me, I mean, Christian did show her those lovely pictures he took of you last week. Just, I don't know, give her time maybe. Its like they say.only time will tell. I've got to go, bye." ---------------------------------------------------------:------------------ ---------------------------------------------- As she was preparing for her match, Trish heard Chris's theme start playing. 'Great, now that I've finally gotten him off my mind, I hear his song, and I think about him again.' She slammed her make-up case closed, and walked out of the room, only to bump into the 'Sheriff' Stone Cold.  
  
"Hey Trish, where ya goin'? He saw that she looked angry. "Look, I know that you don't like that match that you're in, and if you want I could change it."  
  
"No, its not that Steve, I'm just in a horrible mood, that's all."  
  
"Is it that punk Chris Jericho? I could take care of him for you."  
  
"Steve, I'm fine by myself, I promise you. But thanks anyways!" She leaned in and gave Steve a hug. He was always there for her no matter what. And maybe she'd take him up on the offer about taking care of Chris. But, would she? 


	4. Friends Again

Walking back to her locker room seemed like an eternity. She couldn't help but smile; yet she couldn't help but feel a tad upset. Chris and her were finally on good terms, and that was good. But still, something didn't feel right. She remembered watching him give up his Survivor Series favor to save her, and that was the most special thing anyone had ever done for her, and she knew right then that what he was saying was real. So why did she still feel so lonely, when they had decided to be really close friends? Then she figured it out, it was Christian. Christian was the one who told her about Chris and that one girl, and Christian was the one who started the bet. He was also the one who told her that Chris didn't care about her anymore. As she got to her locker room she cleared her mind of Christian, and just went in. Stacy was sitting there reading the Unscripted book, so Trish sat down next to her.  
  
"Hi Stace, what's this, the third time you're reading it now?" She laughed and then winked at Stacy who had just looked up from the book. She gave her a smile back, and then turned her head back into the book.  
  
"No, I'm just reading because they don't need me on the show 'til later. Where've you been?" For a split second Stacy looked back up at Trish, then back down at the book. Trish sat back on the couch and let out a huge sigh.  
  
"I've been talking to Chris. I mean, you saw what he did for me out there, so I figured I had to go thank him. I'm sick of the way we've been lately. I mean, if he wants to date other people so be it. So I told him, that we could be really close friends, and that's what we both want. I don't want us to be on such bad terms, considering everything we went through. And Stace, you know how much he means to me, so this is like the greatest thing that's happened to me all week long. I'm so happy, but there's always something that's got to bring me down, and it just makes me angry."  
  
"Let me guess, and if I'm wrong, I'll probably shoot myself." Stacy paused to put a marker in her book, and then, "One thought came to mind when you said that something had to bring you down. You're still upset with the whole Chris being partners with Christian."  
  
"Not all him being partners with Christian, but him letting Christian practically run his life. It's so upsetting to sit here and watch Christian say all these things to Chris, when all Chris wants to do is be friends with the both of us. He certainly has no right to do that to Chris, after all Chris has done for him. And just last week, Christian asked him for his Survivor Series favor to get into the match for the number 30 Spot. I just don't agree with any of that. But I'm afraid if I tell him how I feel, he won't believe me, and then he and I will once again be on bad terms. She stood up and walked over to her bag. She pulled out her hat, and put it on her head.  
  
"Where are you going? Aren't you going to stick around and see what I've got in store for everyone later on tonight?" She too stood up and walked over to Trish. "Look, when the time is right, and you've had enough. Tell him. Don't shy away from this if it's what you feel is right. I'm telling you this as one of your best friends, and you know it. I'm looking out for you."  
  
"I'm just going to go back to the hotel and take a shower. I'll see you when you get back. Oh and tell Lita good job on her match. She and Victoria made me proud." Trish gave Stacy a hug and then left the room to go find her rental car. Once in the parking lot she shut off the alarm, and got in.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------:------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- After Christian had left his room, he stood there in anger. Chris brushed his hair back out of his face, and sat down in the chair behind him. He couldn't think straight. His head was killing him, and Christian was driving him nuts. He needed a break and he needed it soon. He picked up his cell and dialed Stone Cold' s number.  
  
"Sheriff Austin here."  
  
"Hi, Steve, it's Chris Jericho. I'm kind of feeling sick after that power bomb, so do you mind if I take tomorrow nights house show off. Eric won't let me even if I had a concussion."  
  
"Well, alright, but you're definitely going to have to drink a few beers to calm you down. So, I'll see you Wednesday." Chris hung up the phone, and set it on the table. He got up, and put on his shirt, and jacket, and grabbed his bags, and left the arena. Christian had called his cell as he was driving back to the hotel but he didn't want to talk to him. When he got to the hotel, he saw that Trish's car was already there. He thought about going to talk to her again, but decided against it. He walked up the stairs, since his room was on the second floor, and went in. He threw his bags and coat on the floor, not caring one bit where they landed, and then sat down to take his shoes off. He looked up at his answering machine, and saw that the light was blinking. He got up and played the message. The familiar female blonds voice played over the answering machine, bringing a smile to his face for the first time since the two of them talked earlier that night.  
  
"Hi Chris, its Trish. I'm here in my room, wondering when you're going to get back from the arena. Obviously not until later, so I'm just going to go out and have some dinner. If you want to give me a ring, and we'll talk. Okay, well this thing is going to cut me off, so talk to you later. Bye!" She hung up the phone, and he turned off the machine. He fell backwards on his bed, and just lay there for a few minutes. He thought about just going down to her room himself, and talking to her about things. Then he began thinking about what she said earlier.  
  
He didn't want to be just her friend. Considering everything they've ever been for, and now he had to go through this with Christian, it was like they were destined to be together. How many weeks did he have to try to get her to see that he truly cared about her? He thought for a few more minutes about what he could tell her when he talked to her again. He wanted to tell her, that being just friends with her was just not what he wanted. He wanted to take her in his arms, and hug her like he used to. Then it came to Chris. He knew what he had to do right then and there. He got up, and put his shoes back on. He then walked to the elevator, and as he pressed the button to go to floor number 4, a smile spread across his face. After he got off the elevator, he walked to Trish's room and knocked on the door. He could hear her say that she was coming, and then heard her unlock the door.  
  
"Yeah...Oh hi Chris! What are you doing here so late?" He looked at his watch and saw that it was 1:00. He must have dozed off while he was thinking earlier. "Ah, who cares, come in." She tightened her sweater around her waist, and then pushed her hair back out of her face.  
  
"I just came to talk, like you said on the message. Well, I didn't know you'd be asleep, so if you want, I'll just leave." As he got up to leave the room, Trish grabbed him by the arm.  
  
"No, its fine, stay here. I'm always in the mood to talk." She smiled at him the way she always used to, and sat him down.  
  
"Trish, you know how you said that we could be just really close friends? Not that it's not what I want, because believe me, it's what I want more than anything. Except one thing." He saw that Trish began to get a confused look on her face.  
  
"What do you mean Chris? I don't understand what the 'one thing' could be. You said this is what you've wanted all along."  
  
"Trish, after we're friends for awhile longer, I don't think that I could be just friends anymore. You mean way too much to me, and being a nothing but a friend with you confuses me. I mean, think of all the times we spent together, I was serious when I said that was all real. And I meant every single word of it."  
  
"Wait a second. We need to at least know that we can have a friendship before we begin thinking about a 'relationship'. And I don't know if I'm ready for that relationship again. I know that you're sorry Chris, but that still doesn't excuse what you did to begin with. You too, mean a lot to me. I want to know that we can work to that special place, all right? Please don't be angry."  
  
"How could I be angry with you?" He smiled at her, and then got up, and pulled her up with him. He gave her a hug, and a quick kiss on the forehead. He held onto the hug for a while, and then finally they parted. "I'm going to go back to my room now. I'm not wrestling tomorrow, got a bad headache, but I'll see you Wednesday, all right?"  
  
"Okay Chris, I'll see you then. Please...take care of yourself, for me." She walked him out to the door, and closed it behind him. Once he got outside the room, he leaned up against the door, and smiled. This is what he really wanted all along. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------:------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- The Next Day: House Show  
  
Trish and Lita were in the back talking about going out after the show later on that night. Lita, like always, quickly changed the subject to Chris. "So, what were you two talking about last night in your room. Or was it talking that you were doing?" Lita winked at Trish, and Trish rolled her eyes.  
  
"Very funny, excuse me while I laugh at your hilarious joke." Trish hit Lita on the shoulder. "We were talking, and you know, he wants to be more than friends."  
  
"And you told him..." She waited for Trish to answer, and when she didn't, she urged her on more. "Come on, you can't tell me that much, and not tell me the rest. That's not fair, at all!"  
  
"I told him that we had to work back to the spot. Seriously Lita, that's all I want. To work back to the place where I felt comfortable in before. I want that again. But I feel like it's going to take awhile for it to be that way again. He's still following Christian and doing what Christian wants him to, so I think he needs to figure out what he wants more. A relationship with me, or being Christians tag team partner, and going after the gold again." Lita smiled at her blond friend, and gave her a hug. "Thanks, I needed that. I wish he were here today. I mean, I don't want him to feel so lonely. I should've taken the day off, and took him out to dinner or something."  
  
"Nope, I wouldn't have let you. You needed to be here with me and helping me with my match, and that's what you're going to do. Got it Missy??"  
  
"Yeah, I got it." Lita and Trish both laughed for a few minutes, and then walked out of their dressing room. Trish thought to herself, 'I've got great friends, and Chris. But what's missing with him and me?...' 


	5. Breakfast

As the trainers helped him back to his room, Chris looked around to see if he could find Trish anywhere. Christian was walking closely behind him, was also keeping an eye out for Trish. Once the trainers and the guys got back into their locker room, Chris sat down on the couch. Christian stayed standing as he wiped the sweat from his face.  
  
"Man, Chris that match should've been ours. I still can't believe once again, you save Trish. Obviously she still doesn't care Chris, get it through your head."  
  
"She doesn't care? Christian honestly if she didn't care, she wouldn't have been in the trainers room when they helped me back after that beast Kane attacked me. Who cares now Christian? All you cared about was putting her down, and making her feel bad. You need to stop acting like you know about her. What if she does care about me?" Chris through the icepack down on the floor and grabbed his t-shirt from beside him. He struggled to his feet, and put his shirt on. "I'm going back to the hotel. I'll see you later."  
  
Chris walked out of the room and down the hall towards the parking garage. A few of the fans that he recognized from the crowd were standing outside in the cold Pennsylvania air, and the least he could do was stop and sign a few autographs. He thanked the fans for coming to the show, and took a few more pictures with the two of them. He found his car, and got in and put the key in the ignition. As he waited for his car to warm up, he looked around and saw Trish looking for Lita. He got out of the car and she spotted him standing there.  
  
"Hey Trish! Do you need a lift? I'm heading back to the hotel, so why don't you hop in?" She smiled and ran over to the car.  
  
"Thanks! God, Lita must have left me, which is something only she would do. How's your knee? Any better?" She threw her bags in the backseat and sat down in the passenger side.  
  
"It's okay. It could be better, but I guess it'll take sometime. I'm sorry about earlier, with the whole you and Kane thing. God Bischoff is such an asshole. You deserved that title shot." He looked over at her as he was pulling out of the lot. She smiled back at him, but just shook her head.  
  
"Nah, its okay. I'll get my chance, hopefully sooner than later because, I've been waiting to become the 5 Time Women's Champ. But, like I said, I'll get my chance. Awe, Chris, I feel so bad. You could've become a Tag Team Champ tonight, and it's like, my match caused you to lose. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't let Christian get into your head. It was not your fault, not at all. I just wanted to make sure that you stayed safe. That's all I wanted, and I guess I got the worse end of the deal." He looked at he and gave her a reassuring look. A few moments of silence passed and then finally they got back to the hotel. Once the walked inside the pushed the elevator button to the 4th floor, then the 5th. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Umm, of course. I have to drive back to Toronto sometime during the day, but I should be around for a few hours before then. How about we have breakfast or something?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Chris looked over at Trish and smiled as she smiled back at him. The elevator stopped and Chris grabbed Trish's arm and pulled her in for a hug.  
  
"Thanks for coming to see if I was okay earlier. It means a lot." He let go of the hug, and she got off the elevator.  
  
"Anytime!" She winked and walked to her room. His eyes followed her down the hall until the doors finally closed, and it continued to go up. ---------------------------------------------------------:------------------ --------------------------------------- Once she got into her room, she threw her bags down on the floor. She stretched her arms back over her head. 'It was really great to be talking to him like that once again.' She smiled to herself for a minute, and then sat down on her bed to take off her shoes. After she got done, she lay back on her bed, and turned on the T.V. A few moments passed and the phone rang.  
  
"H-hello?" She yawned into the phone.  
  
"Hi Trish! Its Lita! I'm sorry about leaving you. I completely forgot that you asked me for a ride. I'm glad you got back safetly. Mind if I come up, and we order some late night snacks?"  
  
"Sure, why not." She hung up the phone and fell back onto her bed. Its not like she didn't want to be around anyone right now, she just needed to get some sleep if she was going to see Chris in the morning. After awhile, Lita finally knocked on her door, and she got up to let her in.  
  
"Hi Trish! Wow, you look tired. I'm wired, I mean, gosh, I've had so much sugar tonight." Trish started cracking up at the sight of Lita. She had her hair all messed up and pulled back in a pony tail, and she was dressed in some of the weirdest clothes possible.  
  
"Why don't you come in here before you wake up all the sleeping people." She dragged Lita in the room, who was carrying Oreo cookies and a carton of milk. "Well, what have you been up to all night besides eating?"  
  
"Oh, I've been watching Raw, and you know, wondering what Chris had to tell you earlier. Kind of got me excited because I thought he was going to lay one on you!"  
  
"Well, you know if he did, I probably would've liked it, but I don't know Lita. We're friends, and you know that. But there's always something about him that makes me want to hug him, or just I don't know."  
  
"I see." Lita rolled her eyes at Trish, and said, "Oh yeah, by the way, who did you get a ride home from tonight."  
  
Trish looked at Lita, and flashed her pearly whites. "Hmm, I wonder."  
  
"Are you serious?! He gave you a ride home. Now I want details."  
  
"Well, we just basically talked about his knee, and my match against Kane. And we made plans to have breakfast in the morning. That's pretty much it though."  
  
"Yeah, sure it is!" Lita and Trish talked for another half hour, and then Lita left. Trish turned off her lights, and went to bed. ------The Next Morning------ Trish woke up earlier than usual that morning so she could take a shower, and pack her bags. She figured that after breakfast, she would leave for Toronto. At about 8:30 she took the elevator down to the lobby to wait for Chris. Little did she know that he was already there waiting for her when she got there.  
  
"Well, good morning beautiful. You look great, as always." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and a hug. "Lets get out of here! I'm starving."  
  
They walked out to Chris's car, and headed off to a little restaurant down the road from their motel. While they were eating, the caught up on the time that they'd missed while the two were fighting with each other. After breakfast, they left and Chris drove Trish back to the hotel. He walked her over to her car and thanked her for a great morning.  
  
"It was great talking to you once again. I really needed that after last night." Chris looked at Trish and couldn't help but smiling.  
  
"Well, I missed talking to you, and it felt just like old times when we used to talk. I'm so happy we're friends now." Trish looked over at Chris. "Well, I've got to be going. I'll see you this weekend after you get back from overseas. Have a great time."  
  
Trish got in her car, and buckled her seat belt. She waved to Chris as he started heading back to his car. She smiled as she looked in her mirror, and couldn't help but think about him. 'Maybe this is the start of something beautiful!'  
  
¤You want more, you know what to do! Read and Review¤ 


	6. Is Being Friends What We Really Want?

He lay on the trainer's table, with his knee heavily bandaged. He could hardly straighten it out, and it was in tremendous pain. Christian had just walked in and sat down in the chair next to the table.  
  
"Hey, Christian, thanks man for coming out there and helping Trish. It means a lot to me that you're going to help me look out for her." He looked up and smiled at Christian who sat there smiling back at him.  
  
"No problem man. Well, I was just doing' my job at being your friend. And that's what you and Trish are. Just friends. So, I figured, why not help my 'friends friend.'" After Christian had said that Chris began to think about being just friends with Trish. He told her that he wanted to be more, and he shot her down. Secretly inside he wished that he hadn't started the bet to begin with. But that would mean, not getting to know Trish, and not getting to know someone so great. Christian had gone to talk to the trainer, so Chris lay back on the table. He dozed off for a few minutes. The next thing he knew Christian was shaking him to wake him up. "Hey man, come on, we're going to help you to the car. Trish got your things, and she's going to ride with us back to the hotel."  
  
"Hi! I'm back. I told you I would be." The beautiful blond gave him a huge smile, and a kiss on the cheek. She helped him stand up and helped him get his shirt on. "Now, you're going to take a week off, and get that knee healed up, got it?"  
  
"Yes, 'Nurse Trish', I got it. I'm so hungry."  
  
"Well, C-Man, when we get back to the hotel, I'll order some room service for us. How about you join us Trish?"  
  
"Sure why not! Sounds like a bunch of fun to me! I've got to go back to my room when we get there though to tell Lita. She's still kind of pissed at you Christian so I won't even consider asking her."  
  
"Well, I didn't want you to ask her anyways. The bet was the only reason I got to know her. Forget about her anyways. The good thing is that you've moved past the whole bet and decided to be friends with Chris. You two are better as friends than you are anything else." As Chris was tying his shoe he looked up at Christian. How could he say that they made better friends? What the hell was that supposed to mean anyways? Chris could date whomever he wanted to, including Trish, and Christian would not have a say in any of that. He looked over to Trish who had a semi confused look on her face.  
  
"Yeah, just friends. Right..." Trish paused for a second, almost looking half upset that Christian kept bringing up the fact that they were just friends. "Well, we'd better get going if we want to beat the traffic of the fans. Let's go."  
  
Christian and Trish walked on either side of Chris. Trish was holding his hand incase he fell, and if he did, she would go down with him. Once they got to the car they put Chris in the back and then pulled out of the parking lot. Trish kept asking Chris if he was okay, and every time she did, he would reply, "I'm just fine. Don't worry about me." She would smile at him and then turn back around and continue her conversation with Christian. Every time they laughed, Chris thought that they were probably going to be better friends than her and Chris. 'Am I the king of Bling Bling becoming jealous of my best friend, and the woman who means more to me than anything in the world?' No, he though to himself. 'I can't be. This just isn't right. We're going to be friends. All three of us. Just friends, and they're not going to be a couple, and Trish and I aren't. Just friends.' He had zoned out thinking about that, and by the time he snapped out of it, they had gotten to the hotel. He got out himself, and hobbled inside. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---:------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------- Once they got inside to the hotel lobby, Trish took a separate elevator to the floor her room was on. She had to tell Lita that she was eating with the boys tonight, and tell her not to wait up for her. Once she got there she found Stacy, Jackie, and Lita all sitting around talking and looking at 'Playgirl' magazines.  
  
"Well, doesn't it look like you girls are having fun!" The three divas looking up and smiled at Trish. Lita was the first to speak.  
  
"We sure are. Why don't you come in here and sit down, and we'll all have fun together! Or are you too busy helping the guy you secretly love out?"  
  
"I don't lo--..."  
  
Stacy interrupted her after she let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, and I don't love dancing. Trish admit it to yourself. You do love him. We all can see it in your eyes."  
  
"Yeah what they said!" Jackie laughed, "You know even when we had that intergender match against each other I knew that it was special between you two. And then that whole bet thing. Even then I could see it Trish. He means the world to you, and you're just too stubborn to think so."  
  
"Whatever. And for your information, I'm going upstairs to eat dinner with Chris and Christian. If any of you need me, call the cell. Otherwise, I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me."  
  
Lita set down the magazine, stood up, and walked over to Trish. "Tell him. This is getting way out of hand Trish. We know it, you know it. Hell even your sisters know it. We're not dumb. You just don't want to get hurt again, and I understand that. What if he feels the same way? Maybe you're both chasing something that isn't completely there yet. But if you take it one step at a time, you'll get there. I promise you."  
  
"Lita, sit down. We all need to talk. First of all, he does feel the same way, because not too long ago, he told me so. I'm not ready for that again. I just don't want to go through what I went through with the whole bet. That was like, the worst thing anyone could have ever done, and now its like, I trust him, but I don't. I'm so confused. And you know what his 'best friend' said to me today? He was like, 'Trish you look really good tonight.' How could he have the nerve to say that? I mean, he knows that Chris doesn't just want to be friends with me, and he had the nerve to say that. I mean come on. This is just so dumb."  
  
"No it's not Hun, I know how this goes." Stacy slid over closer to Trish and put her arm around her. "I know how you feel, and I know this is so complicated. Just talk to Chris when you have the chance. Maybe something will happen, maybe it won't. Just tell him, like I said before. Tell him before this gets way out of hand and you both end up hurt."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. I need to get up there though. Dinner should be there. I'll see you guys later. Have fun, doing what you're doing." Trish got up and left the room. She took the elevator up to Chris's floor, and went to him room. When she got there Chris was sitting on the couch and he was all alone. "Hey Chris, where'd you're sidekick go?"  
  
"Haha, very funny. He went downstairs to get us some drinks. He should be back in about 15 minutes. While he's gone, I've got something to give to you. Come over here and sit beside me." Trish walked over to the couch and sat down. He pulled out a box that was wrapped in red wrapping paper. "It's for Valentine's Day, since I won't see you this weekend."  
  
"Awe, Chris thank you. Now I feel really bad, I didn't get anything..."  
  
"Just open it. It doesn't matter if you got me anything. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you. And how much I love being your friend. So this is a token of my thanks to you." Trish opened the box and inside found a necklace. It was a T with her birth stone in tiny diamonds all around the T.  
  
"Chris, this is so beautiful. Thank you so much." Trish leaned in like she was going to kiss him, but Christian came bursting through the door. Trish immediately sat back on the couch, and put the necklace back in the box. The three ate their dinner, and watched some T.V. At 2:30 Trish finally decided to go back downstairs to her room. Before she left though, she gave Chris a hug, and a quick kiss on the forehead. "Get better soon. I'm going to miss you..." She winked at Chris and then walked out of the room carrying the box.  
  
¤You want more do you? Well R&R and we'll see what happens next week! ~D- S~¤ 


	7. Back to Canada

Once Christian and Trish got in the car, the driver drove away rather quickly. Trish didn't even have time to change out of her ring gear, but she had asked Victoria to bring her stuff back to the hotel. She had so much on her mind. How Chris was, what was wrong with his knee. And why did Christian buy her a rose? She thought Christian had understood that she wanted to be just friends with both him and Chris. But was Christian up to something? Was he scared that something was going to happen between her and Chris that would make him forget about Christian? Christian had opened up the window a tad, and the cool air was blowing Trish's hair in her face.  
  
"Oh, sorry Trish, here let me get that." Christian leaned over from his seat and pushed her hair back out of her face. She tugged back away from Christian and just started glaring at him. "What's wrong Trish? I'm just a friend trying to help out another friend."  
  
"Yeah, a friend," she replied. Silently she wished she hadn't gone with him to the hospital. It was like he wanted something from her. Something that he wouldn't get.  
  
"So Trish, you had a great match out there tonight." She heard him remark, but for some reason she just starred out the window not replying to him. She hoped Chris was all right, and that nothing was seriously wrong with his knee. Time passed and before she knew it her and Christian was at the hospital. Before Christian could even get out of the car, she was inside already, and headed towards the elevator. Christian quickly caught up with her in time to catch the same elevator. Once they got to the floor, they met the doctor who had been taking care of him. Surprisingly the only person that Chris wanted to see had been her. She put Christian's jacket down that he had draped over her arms, and walked into the room following the doctor. Chris's knee was elevated and was heavily wrapped in almost like a cast. Once he saw her walk in, he tried to sit up straighter.  
  
"No, lay down, relax. It's only me. How are ya feelin' Hun?" He sighed and sat back on his pillow.  
  
"Oh I could be better. Doc said that I've got to take at least 1 week off to heal. Well, I knew I had to take it easy, but that damn Bischoff put me in the match. I didn't want to get fired." He looked at her with the saddest expression she'd ever seen him have before.  
  
"If you got fired Chris, I would have to quit my job. You wouldn't have deserved to have gotten fired. I wouldn't have stood for it and you know it. She put her hand over his, and looked into his eyes. "Get better okay? For me."  
  
"I'd do anything for you. And that's what I..." Before he could continue what he wanted to say Christian barged into the room. Trish pulled her hand off of Chris's and stood up off the bed. "Hey man."  
  
A confused look spread across Christian's face and he rolled his eyes. "Yo, C-Man, how are ya? Look, I brought her here, and I protected her for you. Happy?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. But thanks for keepin an eye out for her. I really appreciate it man." Trish didn't know what the two were talking about. It was like Chris had known she was going to get hurt. Or Chris had told Christian to make sure nothing happened to her before he left to go to the hospital.  
  
"You know what Chris, I'm going to catch a cab back to the hotel." Trish turned and looked at Christian. "Thanks for the ride here." She walked back over to Chris and leaned in and gave him a hug. "I'll come by tomorrow before I go back to Toronto. Just promise me that you will stay put, and don't do anything stupid. I don't want you messing up your knee again."  
  
"I promise, don't worry. I'll be fine." Before Trish pulled away from the hug, Chris kissed her on the cheek. She pulled back and walked out of the room. She shut the door behind her, but could still hear Christian talking to Chris. She walked down stairs and caught a cab. The ride back to the hotel felt like an eternity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- - "Man, I can't believe you were so dumb. I told you that you should've been focused on the match, and not on Trish. God, you wouldn't be laying in a hospital bed, you'd be out with me, partying."  
  
"Christian, do you always think of partying? Or finding a way to put me down? Well guess what, I'm sick of it. I was focused on that match thank you very much, and I knew that I was at risk going into it. I wouldn't have had a job if I hadn't wrestled Kane. You know damn well that Bischoff is pissed just because I stopped the Battle of the Sexes match. He needs to get over it. That was like two months ago. ." Chris hit the bed with his fist, and put his head back on the pillow. Christian sat down in the chair next to the bed and crossed his arms.  
  
"You know that I'm your best friend Chris. And I don't want to see you get hurt like tonight. I'm just trying to say, that maybe its time you give up on Trish. She's not interested in a relationship other than friendship with you, and you're blind if you can't see that."  
  
"How the hell do you know? Did she tell you this personally?" Christian shook his head and began to talk but Chris cut him off. "Well then shut the hell up. God Christian, why don't you want me to be happy? Can't you see that she makes me happy? You saw how happy I was last week during our tag match. I was with her, and god, it felt better than anything. That's who I'm supposed to be with Christian."  
  
"Yeah, whatever Chris. This is dumb 'puppy' love and Jesus wake up. Get over her, she's a chick. There is plenty more out there and any one of them would be lucky to have you. Get over Trish, okay?" Christian put his coat on and got out of the chair. "Think about what I said man. I'm only trying to look out for you. I'm leaving. See you tomorrow." Christian exited the room. Chris rolled his eyes, and turned the T.V on. He didn't want to lose his friendship with Christian, yet didn't want to ruin his chances to get back together with Trish. He just wished Christian could see that he was serious about Trish.  
  
After awhile Chris finally fell asleep. Morning rolled around, and a soft knock on the door woke him up. He sat up, wiped his eyes and welcomed his guest. It was Trish. She had on her short skirt that Chris had liked. He could smell her perfume all the way across the room. "Good morning my friend. How ya doin'?" Trish smiled and set down her bag.  
  
"I guess I should be asking you that question. Are the going to let you leave today?" She had taken a seat in the chair next to his bed.  
  
"I hope so. You're going back to Toronto right? I thought I would head back to Canada this week and see my family." He reached up and ran his fingers through his tangled hair.  
  
"Yeah, I'm leaving in about 4 hours. I got an extra ticket for Lita because she really didn't want to go back to North Carolina, and then she bailed on me early this morning. When do you think they'll let you out, because if you want you could use the ticket."  
  
"Lucky you, you get some company on that plane ride. I overheard the nurse and doctor talking this morning, and they said I could leave whenever I got up. Now all I've got to do is let them know I'm awake." Just as he said that the nurse walked into the room.  
  
"Alright Mr. Jericho, are you ready to leave?" The nurse asked while she was propping up his pillow. "Is this lovely young lady taking you back to your hotel or what?"  
  
"This lovely young lady and I are flying back to Canada in a few hours, so nurse discharge me please!" Both Trish and Chris smiled as the nurse left the room laughing. "Do you mind leaving while I get my clothes on? If you want you could stay."  
  
"I think it would be best if I left. Come out when you're ready, I won't leave ya!" Trish left the room and Chris got dressed slowly. It hurt him to even put a bit of weight on his knee. Once he got finished, he left the room in search of Trish. She was waiting with his bags while the nurse handed him the papers, and directions from the doctor. Trish smiled, and carried his bag out to her rental car while he hobbled along side her.  
  
Once in the car the two started talking like nothing had been changed between them. They played games the entire 2-hour drive. Every once in awhile Chris would start making fun of the way Trish drove. He wished that everything would go back to the way it was before she found out about the childish bet, but knew that this was just a stepping-stone in their relationship. Finally they got to the airport and the men there helped them inside. As they were waiting in chairs for the plane to be boarded Chris looked over at Trish who was reading a magazine. She must have felt his gaze because she looked up from the book and for the first time in a few months they caught each other's eye...  
  
¤You know what to do if you want more! Read and Review. If you don't, this story will end! Just kidding, I enjoy writing it. But R&R and I'll write more!¤ 


	8. Chapter 8

This time, instead of Chris laying in the trainers room it was Trish. She should've known that Christian would've done something like that. She trusted him with her life, and he betrayed not only her, but also his 'best friend' Chris. She tried to ease herself into the chair that the trainer had set out for her, but she couldn't. Her back would throb with pain every time she tried. Lita rushed into the trainer's room awhile later. She looked so upset, and kind of shaken up.  
  
"Oh my god, Trish, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? How are you?" Lita held onto Trish's hand, and Trish looked up from behind the hair in her face and smiled at her best friend. Not only did Lita lose the Women's Title match earlier, but also right now she didn't care. All she cared about is if Trish was okay.  
  
"Lita, I'm fine. In pain, but I'll be okay. Trust me. I'm just, more mentally hurt than I am physically. I can't believe I trusted him. God, and I went out there thinking it was all going to be okay. And the guys in the back, they kept asking me if I wanted their help, but no, Christian said everything was going to be okay, and that he didn't want to hurt me. Well, I think he doesn't know what the true definition of 'hurt' is."  
  
"Chris will take care of it all Hunny. You just wait." Lita look at her with a reassuring look. Trish knew Chris would call her in the morning, or would he? Christian and him had been friends longer than Trish and him, so would Chris believe Trish. He had to have watched Raw. "Are you ready to go. The trainer told me before I came in here that you could leave."  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready. We need to go back..." Before she could finish that sentence a familiar voice said...  
  
"Got it already." The blond Canadian held up her bag. She was so shocked that he had come all the way from the hotel just to see her. Bad knee and all.  
  
"Chris, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be standing on that knee."  
  
"And you shouldn't be alone. Well, I mean, without me. That sorry bastard will pay, you'd best believe that. Come Monday night, I'll be looking for a fight."  
  
Chris got all defensive talking about Christian so Lita chimed in, "No, the Doc said to stay off that knee for at least two weeks Chris. Are you going to go against him? What if you're seriously hurt this time?"  
  
"Seriously hurt? Jesus Lita, Trish could've been seriously hurt, and you're concerned about me?" Trish hobbled over and stood between the two. She didn't want to see two of her best friends fighting right now. She just wanted to go back to the hotel and take a long hot bath. She took her bag from Chris and grabbed his hand.  
  
"Come on, we're going back to the hotel, and you're going to get along. Please, just get along for one night. Then maybe, just maybe everything will blow over, and I'll be ready to get back in the ring next week. That man will not keep me down. Now come on, let's just go." She looked at both of them, and the agreed. They walked out to Trish's rental car and Chris got in the drivers seat.  
  
"I'll drive, Lita since it's a long ride back, you can sleep, and I'll keep Trish some company." Lita got in the back seat after helping Trish in the front. Immediately she fell asleep, and Trish laughed at her.  
  
Chris yawned every five minutes of the trip back to the hotel, but kept his eyes on the road, not once looking at Trish. They kept silent most of the way, except for when a good song came on the radio that Chris just happened to hum. Finally having enough of the silence, Trish started a conversation with Chris, trying to steer away from the Christian subject.  
  
"So, how's your knee?"  
  
"How's your back?" Trish let out a long sigh. Chris looked over at her, and put his hand over hers. "Look, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I should've been, and I can't believe I wasn't. I should've known Eric was going to do something like that. I should've known he was going to do something to hurt you when I couldn't help you."  
  
"Chris Jericho, it is not your fault that Eric Bischoff is a complete jackass. He's been after you and me both ever since we became friends. You can't change the fact that we are friends, and neither can I. He just doesn't understand that. God Chris, this has nothing to do with Eric. Can't you see, it was Christian getting back at you? All along, he has not liked the fact that you were hanging out with someone else. He was jealous. So don't you dare blame yourself for not being there."  
  
"But, I trusted him. He looked me in the eye and told me that he wouldn't let anyone touch you. He promised."  
  
"Yeah, well obviously he's a good liar. Just please don't do anything to re- injure your knee. I can't go to Raw next week without you, let alone be in the same arena as Christian."  
  
Chris looked over at Trish one more time before pulling into the hotel arena. Once they got inside, Chris told her he had to do some things. He promised her that he wouldn't do anything stupid, and kissed her on the forehead before he left her room. She layed down on the bed and put an icepack on her back. Shortly after she drifted off to sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------:-------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- He went up and down the halls looking for Christian. It had been over an hour since he'd been searching for Christian's room, which he had forgotten the number to, but he had to find him. He had to hurt him like he'd hurt Trish. He was going to pay for what he'd done, and it was not going to be forgiven.  
  
Shawn Michaels had just gotten off the elevator on the 5th floor. He saw Chris walking around angry, and walked up to him. The two had a storybook past, and Shawn knew that Chris and him weren't on good terms. He also knew that Chris had changed, and that Trish and him had become quite close.  
  
"Hey Chris. Look, I saw what Christian did to Trish. And just to let you know, Christian changed hotels. Actually he's already out of the state. After his 'match' with Trish, I saw him running down the hall with his bags calling the travel agent. So if you're looking for him tonight, you're not going to get him."  
  
"God dammit!" Chris punched the wall in a rage of fury. He knew that Christian was just scared Chris was going to beat the hell out of him. Boy was he ever right.  
  
"Whoa, bud calm down alright? You've got next week. Plus you've got a bummed knee, so I'd take it easy for about that time. Christian will be there next week."  
  
"Who cares about the damn bummed knee? Trish is hurt, and its all because of that jackass Christian. God, everyone keeps telling me, 'Your knee it hurt, you're going to hurt it even more.' But can't you all see that I care more about Trish than I do a knee?" Chris ran his fingers through his long blond hair, and sat down on the hotel floor.  
  
He put his hands over his face, and his head on his knees. Shawn walked over and sat down on the floor next to him. "It's going to be alright Chris. You'll get your chance to make this all better. Trust me. Please, just don't screw it up tonight."  
  
"Why are you being so, different to me?"  
  
"Kid, you've got a heck of a talent, and I don't want to see you waste it on that punk. If you fight him, he could beat you. Especially at a time like this. You're hurt, and you're upset. Don't do anything that's so stupid that you could end your career. You're an amazing athlete with a lot going for you. So Chris, just look at that."  
  
"Thanks Shawn. I never though I'd say that to you. But seriously, thanks. It means a lot. I'm going to go find Trish, and stay with her. Maybe I'll calm down. Christian and I were in the same room, and I can't even remember the number. I'm just a tad dumb!"  
  
"Nope, you're just blond!" Chris and Shawn both laughed. They went their separate ways, and Chris got on the elevator. He took the floor down to Trish's room, and went to her door. Knocking on it, he heard her rustle in her bed to get up. He heard her start to unlock the door.  
  
"Just a sec." She was having a bit of trouble, but finally got it. She opened the door, and got a weird expression on her face. "Chris! What are you doing here? It's so late at night."  
  
"Well, I don't want to go back up to that floor. Christian is in a whole different state, and I don't know. Can I just stay here with you?"  
  
"Of course you can. C'mon in." She let Chris inside and he sat down on the couch. Lita was fast asleep and snoring. Chris set his bags down and laid back on the couch. Trish covered him up, and gave him a quick hug. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Yes you will..."  
  
¤Well, you know what to do, review!¤ 


	9. Good Things Take Time

He walked back to the locker room alone, knowing that Christian was wrong, and that the match at Wrestlemania was definatly going to make Christian wish he had never bad-mouthed Trish. Never in a million years did he expect Christian, his best friend to turn his back on him. But that was the normal Christian thing to do. Chris got back to his locker room but didn't stay long. He stayed long enough to put his coat on and grab his bags. After that he just walked out to his car, got in and drove. He didn't care where he was going right away, he certainly did not want to go back to the hotel.  
  
And then he realized. She truly doesn't know how he feels. He told her some things; but they were never the right things. He had wanted to be more than just friends with her from the very beginning, and how was he supposed to tell her that. All the feelings he had wrapped up inside of him wanted to come out, but couldn't. Every night he'd lay awake thinking of the time they'd spent together. The nights they had, when she was too tired to drive home, so she stayed with him. He never thought those days would come again.  
  
After about an hour, he finally drove back to the Motel 6 they were staying in that night. Fans were crowded around the doors, waiting for one of the superstars to either go in, or come out. 'How do they always know where we're staying?!' Graciously he signed autographs, for those who wanted one and went inside. He took the elevator up to the floor he was staying on. He thought about going to see Trish, but decided against it. He didn't want to talk to her right now. Well, he did, but in a way, something was telling him to give it a night. Much to his surprise though, once he got off the elevator, he saw her sitting by his room door.  
  
"Trish...?" He must have scared her, because she jumped up off the ground. She looked at him, and it looked as if she'd been crying. He walked over to her and took her in his arms. "What's wrong, babe?"  
  
"Why did you go out there tonight? Why didn't you just let Christian run his mouth? Chris, you could've gotten hurt again." He looked at her with a confused expression.  
  
"Don't you dare worry about me getting hurt again. All you need to worry about is you getting better. I went out there to get revenge for you. It was bound to happen and you know it. And what he said didn't bother me. I know where you were. You were in your room sleeping, because I was there."  
  
"Oh Chris, I can't believe he said such awful things. Please, just don't hurt yourself before your big Wrestlemania match. God, then you can get your revenge. And this will finally be over. You and him fighting because of me. I feel so guilty that I'm the one who caused you two to fight."  
  
"The reason we were fighting is because he was the idiot who started the bet, and is jealous because I got something out of it. I got you." He still had her wrapped in his arms, and finally let go. He took out his key to the door and led her inside. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and crossed her legs. Even when she was crying he thought she looked so beautiful.  
  
"If you want me to go so you can get some rest I will. Lita's due back at any minute, and we're supposed to have dinner together. That is if her and Rob didn't stop anywhere to get anything. She rode in with him since I have the night off."  
  
"Why would I want you to go? I want you to stay here, with me, so we can talk." This was the first time in a long time that the two had a chance to be alone and she thought he wanted some rest. He wasn't letting her leave, not when Christian was in the same hotel. "How about I order some room service, and you just tell Lita you got hungry?"  
  
She looked up from the ground and smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me." Chris took out the menu from the table beside the window, and looked it over. Once they decided what to order, he called down. It was going to take half an hour for it to be ready, so he figured they'd have a chance to talk things out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------:-------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Dinner arrived right on time. The two had been talking about Christian for the time that it took for it to get there. There would be times, when the two would start talking at the same time, and Trish giggled. She loved being around him. She loved the way he made her feel safe and comfortable.  
  
"So, how about we change the subject to Raw. What do you think about the Molly vs. Victoria match?! Molly gets her head shaved if she loses. Now I find that incredibly funny." She looked at Chris, because she knew she'd made him smile. His glassy blue eyes, glistening with the light starred at her. He was laughing that laugh, where she knew he wasn't being fake. His teeth were showing, and he looked like he was having a good time.  
  
"I can just imagine watching Molly go around the back in a wig. It's funny because I honestly think she will come to work in a wig. One of those big haired wigs like back in the old days." She couldn't but laugh. That was one of the funniest things she'd heard in a long time. "Hold on a second, you've got something on your cheek."  
  
Chris leaned in and wiped off whatever was on her cheek. She thanked him as he sat back in his chair. "You know, I'm getting used to this friendship thing. I'm gaining my trust back for you. Well I have been for a while, but I think I can finally trust you again. I mean you have changed Chris. I'm glad."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you're glad!" They both started cracking up, and finished up their dinner. Trish set the trays outside the door, and went back in the sitting area and sat on the couch with Chris. She sat rather close to him, and he didn't seem to mind. A few minutes passed and before they knew it, Trish was cuddled in Chris's arms. They were laughing and watching a movie, and having fun.  
  
Trish looked over at her watch and saw that it was almost 3:30am. She got up and grabbed her leather jacket. "You know what I've really got to get going. Lita's going to call the cops. So, I'll see you in the morning?"  
  
"Of course you will. Here I'll get your bag for you." He walked over and grabbed her bag. Handing it to her, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. He walked her to the door and unlocked it for her. "Goodnight beautiful."  
  
He turned to walk away, but Trish grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close to her. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against him, giving him a simple and sweet kiss. She held onto it for a few minutes, knowing that he was kissing back. She broke the kiss and starred into his glassy blue eyes. "Goodnight Chris..."  
  
¤Hmm is this a cliffhanger?! Well you know what to do read and review! ¤ 


	10. As Us

Trish sat on her leather couch watching Raw. 'That asshole!' she thought to herself as Christian used her theme to trick Chris. Then she saw the rampage that Chris went on. 'Oh come on Chris, don't over work yourself hunny.' After Chris decided to beat down Richards she put her finger tips to her head and sighed. 'Wrestlemania Chris. Please save it until Wrestlemania, please.' A phone call interrupted her train of thought.  
  
"Hello?" She asked impatiently.  
  
"Trish, it's Lita. Chris is here and he wants to talk to you."  
  
"Well put him on then!"  
  
"Trish?" It was so good to hear his voice. Hopefully Lita calmed him down enough. She let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"I'm here hunny. Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm all right. Just so pissed off. I've also got a major headache."  
  
"Well, I wish I could be there with you. Like last week."  
  
"We need to talk about last week. But not right now babe, I've got to take a shower. I'll put you back on with Lita. Just stay home, please. I'll come to you."  
  
Trish said goodbye to Chris and talked to Lita for a few more minutes. After they hung up Trish herself got in the shower. She didn't know if Chris was serious when he said he'd come to her. As much as she wanted to see him she didn't know if it was right. She had kissed him without him having a forewarning.  
  
She put her pajamas on and climbed into bed. A half hour passed and finally she fell asleep. She tossed and turned all through the night, sometimes dreaming about Wrestlemania. At one point she dreamed of the match between Chris and Christian. She dreamt that Christian got disqualified, and kept beating on Chris with a chair.  
  
She woke up with sweat dripping down her back. The Toronto sunlight was shining through her window, and she got out of bed. After walking down the stairs and into the kitchen her phone was blinking; she had a message. She pushed the play button and listened to the familiar voice ring out from the speakers.  
  
"Hey Trish, its me, Chris. Well, I'm flying back to Toronto today, and was wondering if you could pick me up from the airport. Just give me a ring when you get my message, and if I don't pick up, I'm probably already on the plane. I should be in Toronto around noon. Thanks Trish."  
  
The message ended and she picked up the phone and dialed Chris's number. A few rings, and then he picked up. "Yep?"  
  
"Chris! I thought you'd already be on the plane."  
  
"Ah, it's so good to hear your voice. No, I'm leaving in like 10 minutes. It's about 10 o'clock, so probably noon. Are you going to be there?"  
  
"Would I say no to you?"  
  
"That depends!" He laughed at her and she rolled her eyes. "But hey, I've go to go, alright? I'll see you in a couple hours. Then we'll talk."  
  
"Okay, bye." She hung up the phone and ran up the stairs to take a shower. She wanted to be at the airport early. So she could see him. She needed to see him. She struggled with what she was going to tell him when he arrived, but she knew she had to tell him something. Surely he'd want an explanation of why she kissed him.  
  
She left for the airport, and turned on her car stereo. Of course Fozzy was playing. Every time she gets in her car it's always on the Fozzy CD. She smiled to herself, and hummed along with the music. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------:---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- He stepped off the plane and onto the long corridor connecting the airport and the plane. Slowly walking up it, he hoisted his bag further over his shoulder. He didn't know if Trish was there yet, but as the crowd parted, he saw the familiar blond hair, and the small and beautiful Canadian. He walked faster than he had been, and as he started getting closer, he saw her coming towards him. She ran up to him and into his arms. He hugged her tight to himself, and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"I've missed you so much." He set his bag on the floor and let go of the hug. She looked like she hadn't gotten that much sleep, so he said, "Let's get going. I'll drive home."  
  
He picked up his bag, and took her hand in his. She squeezed it a bit, and walked with him. "How was your flight?"  
  
"It was fine, my head still hurts, and my knee is killing me, but seeing you makes it all better."  
  
He could tell she got embarrassed and laughed at her. "Thanks, but seeing you doesn't make the pain my back go away. Physical therapy is hardly helping, and this whole Wrestlemania match is giving me nightmares. I'm so scared Chris."  
  
"You've nothing to be scared of. It's going to be okay." They walked into the parking garage and found Trish's car. "Here ya go." He opened the door for her, and then the back door to put his bag in. Once inside the car, he started it up and backed out of the garage.  
  
"You do remember how to get back to my house right?"  
  
"Pretty sure I know."  
  
Chris watched Trish as she sat back on the seat. Her hair blowing in the wind, her face getting covered by the loose strands of hair. He thought she looked more beautiful than ever. Hardly any make-up on, out of her wrestling gear. Just normal. He wanted to be with her just like that. Just normal Trish and normal Chris.  
  
"So Chris, about last week..."  
  
"Yeah, I mean, you kind of caught me off guard."  
  
"I'm sorry Chris. I just, well I felt like it was the right thing to do. I really wanted to do that, so I did. Words can't explain why. You just mean a lot to me, and I wanted to thank you in a way that only we could understand as us."  
  
Chris looked over at her, and sighed. 'As us?' What did she mean by that. He turned into her driveway and pulled up close to the garage. She got out before he had the chance to open the door for her, and was already unlocking the door. He walked in the house behind her and set his bag down by the door. He walked up behind her and her around.  
  
Locking his arms around her back, he pulled her in, and returned the kiss that she'd given him last week. "Well, this is for us Trish...As us..." He looked into her eyes and saw the look that he once saw in them. Before she found out about the bet...Even before the bet. He saw what he'd missed seeing. She put her arms around his neck and they stayed like that for quite some time...  
  
*I didn't know how to end this, but guess what! You get a Wrestlemania chapter! It all depends on what happens at WM though, because if she comes out, and all that good stuff, you're so getting a chapter...I hope you liked the cliffhanger, so read and review, lemme know what you think. Suggestions, and all that good stuff.. I plan on having the Wrestlemania chapter up on Monday before Raw. And then having yet another chapter. I'll continue this as long as I get reviews! And I really want to thank Christina for the great review she gave me last chapter..It meant a lot! So review!! And thanks to everyone else who reviews for me!* 


	11. Wrestlemania Fallout

He didn't know how to feel. She'd hurt and betrayed him. She'd gone for his best friend. He walked back to his locker room with tears in his eyes. This is how it was ending after all the time they'd spent together. He knew that it wouldn't last long...at least he thought it wouldn't. She'd meant so much to him, and then for her to go and do that tore him up inside.  
  
The walk back to his room was the longest one he'd ever taken. Alone and hurt. Once he got there, she was there. Sitting there, also with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Get the hell out of here NOW." She stood up out of her chair and walked over to him, trying to calm him down. "Go, I don't ever want to see your slutty face again."  
  
"Chris please listen to me baby. Please, you don't understand."  
  
"No, Trish, obviously I don't. You see I thought that we had something. Something that was right. But no way, you had to go and ruin it. Now I see you as what you are. A lying bitch."  
  
"Chris, stop. Listen to me."  
  
"If I wanted to listen to you, I would, but I need to get the hell out of here. God Trish, you must think I'm fucking stupid or something. Never again. It's over, everything, my career, everything."  
  
"Chris, don't do this. Stop and listen to me."  
  
"Why, so you can tell me that it's what you had to do, 'As us?' Your 'as us' bullshit is over. I'm through with you. Trish, just leave."  
  
"I needed to do this 'AS US,' Chris. I don't want to have our relationship so public. I want us to be together so that we can have our own life. Vince told me to do the right thing. I went to him earlier this afternoon to see if I could do something, for us. But no. I had to do what Vince said or I would've lost my job, Chris. Just understand that you mean more to me than you could ever know."  
  
"Oh yeah, I mean more to you than Christian, huh? You kissed him. Kissed my BEST FRIEND. Being a couple is what you really want though isn't it. Just get the hell out of here."  
  
Chris pushed pass Trish and walked into the bathroom. She followed him to the door, but he slammed it and locked it in her face. He didn't want anything to do with her. He turned on the shower, and threw the shampoo at the door. On the other side of it, he could hear her sobbing. He didn't care. He wanted her to hurt. He wanted her to feel what he felt that night, in the ring seeing her kissing Christian. Once again he heard her outside the door, calling his name. He knew that he needed to get away. He unlocked the door, and saw her sitting on his couch. She stood up, but he put his hand to her face.  
  
"Now, I want you to listen to me. I've never hurt as much as I'm hurting right now. I've never even thought this would ever come to this. Yeah, I know I hurt you Trish, but not like this. I never want to see you again. Even if it means quitting my job, I'm going to. When I look at you, I feel nothing but hatred. I loved you Trish." He saw her look at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. This was the first time he'd ever told her that he loved her. "Yes, I loved you. And now the joke is on me. So I say fuck it all. Go straight to hell, you belong there."  
  
He picked up his back, and coat and headed out the door. He didn't care anymore what she had to say. He walked pass Benoit and Eddie, not caring that either of the two had just won their matches. He even walked pass Vince, who was yelling to him. 'Oh I'm sure I'll get fired for that one.' It was pathetic how she said it was Vince's fault. It was her fault. Blaming it on Vince. 'God, screw this bullshit.'  
  
Once in the parking lot he looked around. He saw Victoria getting in her car and jogged over. "Hey can I have a ride back to the hotel."  
  
"Sure Chris, let me put your bag in the trunk." She bit her bottom lip just like Trish used to do, and put it in. She got in the drivers seat as he got in the passengers side. "I'm really sorry Chris. I just can't believe she'd do that to you. She told me earlier today that she was going to tell you something, something you'd like to hear. And I don't know if its the best time, but Chris, she looked me in the eye and told me she loved you."  
  
"Bullshit Vickie. It's all bullshit. She loved me just like she loves her acne. God, I'm so stupid. I should've figured something was up."  
  
"Chris, listen to me. Look, I know that she went to see Vince today before the show started, and when she came back she was all upset. I know she didn't want to do that. She said something about losing her job, and god Chris, would you have wanted that for her?"  
  
"Vickie, can you just drive. I don't want to talk about her. Hell I don't even want to work for the same company anymore. First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to Vince and Bischoff, and giving them my two weeks notice. It's all over; I'm done with this. First my best friend, and now the woman I love more than anything in the world."  
  
"Don't run away from this. If you want her, listen to her. Listen to her side of things before you get all pissed off that you do something stupid. You'll lose what you've got...and trust me, I know from experience that is worse than to not know what could've been."  
  
Maybe Victoria was right. Maybe he had to listen to her first. But no, she'd probably twist it into something so different. He was so confused. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He didn't want to believe her, but in some way he did. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------:------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- "Lita please pick up, please, please." Trish waited as the ringing sound to Lita's phone kept going. She heard the voice mail pick up, and knew exactly what to say.  
  
"Look Lita, I know you saw what I did out there tonight, and trust me, it's not what you think. I'll explain in the morning, just please, don't believe that's what I want. I don't want to be with him. Just do me this huge favor Lita. Please go to Chris's room, and talk to him, for me. You know how I feel about him, and just tell him that. Meet me in the lobby in the morning. Please you have to believe me."  
  
She turned the phone off and threw it against the wall. It shattered into a ton of pieces but she didn't care. Why did she have to do what Vince said? She'd hurt the person who'd been there for her, for longer than she could remember. It was so hypocritical of her. Chris is what she wanted, not Christian. But some how she had that to Chris.  
  
A soft knock on her door startled her thoughts, and he heard Christian on the other side. "Hey sexy, come open the door, we need to talk."  
  
"Go the hell away, I'm not in the mood."  
  
"Whoa, babe, I just want to talk to you about tonight. I mean, are you telling me that we're together now?"  
  
She walked over to the door, and opened it up. "Look Christian, I did that so I could keep my job. Don't you see, Chris is the person that I want to be with? You're the one who I have to be with. I asked Vince earlier if instead of staying in the back, could I go out there and help Chris. But no, what he told me to do was go out there, distract you guys, and then I'd slap him. Yeah I did that. I regret ever stepping foot onto New York soil tonight."  
  
"Wow, harsh words. Now, I've got a car set up, how about we get out of here."  
  
"Did you not listen to a word I just said Christian?" He looked at her like she was dumb. "The only way I'd go with you is if I was starving for food. Or maybe if I hadn't just ruined the only thing good I had going in my life."  
  
She slapped him across the face, and stormed out of the room. She walked to the parking lot, and found her car. Lita was waiting for her, and she seemed to be pissed off.  
  
"Did you get my message?"  
  
"Oh, you mean the message that you made when you slapped Chris across the face? Yeah I got it. Now, I know that Chris used to be a jackass, and that he used to be rude, and obnoxious. But look in the mirror Trish. You're turning into a female version of Christian. You're a lying, cheating, two- timing bitch. And if I were Chris, I'd do exactly what you did to him."  
  
Trish broke into tears and tore at her hair. "Can't you see Lita? I've done nothing but cry for the past two hours. I've been sitting in his locker room even after he left. He told me he never wanted to see me again."  
  
"Oh, if I were him I would've told you a lot more than that. Just get in your car, and drive straight off a cliff. It'd do the world good."  
  
"Okay, I'm going to say this once again. I DONT WANT TO HURT CHRIS. I went to Vince earlier, and asked him if I could tell Chris on national television that I loved him. Vince said, 'If you want to keep you're job, you're going to turn on Chris tonight, and you're going to get together with Christian.' I tried to explain to him that it wasn't what I wanted." The tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Lita, believe me, I wouldn't do that even if I was paid one million dollars. Chris means far too much to me. But it was a matter of losing my job."  
  
"So your job is more important to you than Chris? How nice Trish. Why don't you just go suck up to Vince like you used to."  
  
"Look into my eyes Lita. I want to be with Chris. I don't want to be with Christian, and if I could do it all over again, I'd give up my job so I didn't have to see the look in Chris's eyes. I would give it all up; just to be in his arms right now. Telling him how I want to be with him for the rest of my life. But I guess I can't now."  
  
Lita sat back on the car hood. She looked at Trish, and she too broke into tears. She walked up to Trish and put her arms around her and hugged her tight. "We need to get him back for you, hunny."  
  
"Lita, you're like the best friend I could ever have."  
  
The girls held onto the hug for a while longer. Trish opened up the door for Lita, and as she got in, she mouthed 'Thank you' to her. The tears continued to stream down her face, and she knew it'd be a long time before Chris would ever trust her again. She got in the car, and drove back to the hotel. Hopefully someday...she would be back in his arms. Right where she wanted to be...  
  
¤The End...Oh not for the whole story. I was inspired last night. Yes I know, it came a tragic ending to the storyline we love of Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus...How it hurts the heart...I'll always remember them together...starting October 13, 2003..Monday Night Raw..OKAY ENOUGH! I'm going to start crying..Here's the drill..if you want me to continue this story, I will...BUT I need you're opinions..Do I continue this story the way I want it, or do I do it following the storyline that will continue on Raw. Considering the way the Wrestlemania chapter I just wrote is, I'd think it'd be better if I wrote it the way I want it. So, review, and let me know what you think...Ugh; I want to go watch the tapes of their storyline now..Right up until Wrestlemania..*tear* _Always a Jericho and Trish shipper_Dakota Stratus¤ 


	12. Don't Give Up

As Chris drove away from the arena, he never looked back. He needed to drive, and that's what he did. He kept driving, and driving. It's not like he cared about getting disqualified from the match. It was just a match. He'd lost a lot more than he'd been disqualified from, and it didn't matter one bit. Once he got to the hotel he'd planned on staying in, he stormed to his room.  
  
In the elevator he slumped against the wall. It felt like he was being sucked into a black hole. The anger building up inside of him, almost made him sick to his stomach. He still couldn't believe after all of this time, she'd been playing with his head. All the nights, the talks, the times they'd spend together. It was all a lie.  
  
Once the elevator stopped he was greeted by a bunch of people standing waiting for their own ride down. He stepped off and walked to his room. As he slid the key into the door, he felt around in his pocket and found the necklace he planned on giving Trish after Wrestlemania.  
  
He pushed open the door and then threw the necklace across the room. He fell backwards onto his bed and wiped away the single tear that was falling from his eye. He sat up and turned on Raw just in time to see that Trish and Christian were indeed at Raw...And sucking face once again. His anger took over and he threw the remote at the T.V. It bust into a thousand pieces and crumbled to the floor.  
  
Chris laid there awhile longer, and thought about Trish. Even when he was furious with her, he couldn't get her off of his mind. He needed to think about things other than her, but every time he tried, his mind traveled right back to her. He decided that the only way to stop thinking about her for at least a couple hours was to go out. He had some friends in New Jersey so he decided to give them a call. Of course the excepted his invite and he walked down stairs to meet them in the lobby. He had a few minutes before they would arrive, so he just waited there.  
  
As he was waiting, Lita ran in through the doors. She slid across the floor, and started laughing. It looked as if she was about to fall, so Chris stood up and caught her. "Thanks!"  
  
"Anytime Red. How are things?"  
  
"You're asking me that question? Honestly Chris, something's wrong with you." She brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
"Wow Lita, you're quick. I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get my mind off of things. You know...those things." He let out a long sigh, and picked up her bag for her. "How about you and I go out with a few of my friends and get some drinks. Later on, we can talk. I've been meaning to talk to you all day."  
  
"Let me go upstairs, and put my stuff in my room. I'll be back in 10 minutes, alright?"  
  
He nodded his head, and she rushed to the stairs. As she disappeared behind the doors, more and more of his co-workers began to arrive back at the hotel. He greeted them, but didn't engage in a conversation with them. Shortly there after, Lita returned back downstairs, just as his friends were arriving.  
  
Walking out the door, they were laughing, the first time since the night before. He and Lita were walking next to each other, and exiting the same door as a limo pulled up to the hotel. They let it pass by them, and as they were getting into their cars, Chris heard a familiar female voice call out from behind him. Not for him though, but for Lita.  
  
"Lita, where are you going?"  
  
"I'm going out with some friends. I'll be back later Trish. Don't wait up for me." As Lita was saying goodbye to Trish, he got into the backseat and sat down. Lita climbed in behind him, and looked at him with an 'I'm sorry' expression on her face. He gave her a reassuring look, and his friends pulled out of the parking lot. The first time that day that he didn't start tearing up when he heard the name Trish. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----:---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- She knew Chris was with Lita. But why? Why were they going out together? Then she thought about it more and realized Lita was going to play Miss Fix- It and talk to Chris for her, since he wouldn't listen to her. She sat her stuff down on her bed and went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Her phone kept ringing, but she knew it was Christian. She didn't want to answer it, yet sooner or later she had to tell Christian the real reason why she's with him on T.V.  
  
Once she got out of the shower, she went to bed. She didn't want to stay up for nothing, since Lita wasn't there so she shut off the lights and went to bed. Lying in bed, she itched her neck, and felt the necklace Chris had given her for Valentine's Day. He'd been so good to her, and then she had to do that, all because of her job. For some reason, she kept thinking about leaving the job, just to prove to Chris that she really did love him.  
  
As she rolled up onto her side, she thought about way back when, when they had stayed up until the wee hours of the night just talking and talking. And in more recent weeks, he'd been there for her from the time she got off of work until the time she went to bed. She decided that in the end, it would all come down to the fact of her really loving him. She truly did, and obviously she screwed up any chance of the two getting back together.  
  
'Screw all of this.' She got out of bed, and put her street clothes back on. She threw all of her other clothes, and extra things back into her bag, and grabbed the room key. She went downstairs, and checked out of the hotel. As she sat in the driver's side seat of her car, she slammed her fists against the steering wheel. The tears were now streaming down her cheeks, and she started up her car. She had to get back home. The lights from the oncoming cars kept her alert driving back to Toronto. It made her stay awake. The music coming out of the radio, kept her from thinking about the happenings of the past two days. As she was crossing the border going into Canada, she turned and looked out the window. Biting her bottom lip, she pulled up to the man waiting to ask where she was heading.  
  
"Where are you off to Miss?"  
  
"I'm going home to Toronto." She handed him her license, and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.  
  
"Miss Stratus, huh? My kids and I watch Monday Night Raw all of the time, and we enjoy watching you! Have a safe trip home!"  
  
"Thank you. I'll try."  
  
The rest of the way home, she didn't think about anything. Just getting home. When she pulled in her driveway, she saw that there was a light coming from the guest bedroom. It made her stomach turn, and she ran inside. "Hello? Who's there?"  
  
"Trish?! What are you doing home?" Her sister walked down the stairs, and gave her a hug.  
  
"Just decided to come home. But why are you up at this time of the night? Scratch that, this time of the morning? And what are you doing in my house?"  
  
"I needed a place to stay, and I figured you wouldn't mind to have a guest when you got home Tuesday."  
  
"Yeah, I don't mind, I just need to get to bed. We'll talk later."  
  
Trish walked up stairs with her bags in hand, and to her bedroom. Setting her bags down on the floor, she fell into her bed and closed her eyes. The next thing she knew, the sun was shining brightly through her bedroom window. She sat up and looked at her watch. It read 12:00, so she decided to get out of bed. After she took a long hot shower, she went down stairs. Her sister was sitting in the living room watching soap operas. The phone rang, and she picked it up.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Hey Trish, it's me."  
  
"Hey Lita, so...how was your night?"  
  
"You mean, what did Chris say last night? How much time do you have?"  
  
"I've got all day, just tell me."  
  
She heard Lita clear her throat on the other end, and sighed. "Trish, he misses you. Yeah it's been two days, but god Trish, he won't be over this for a long time. I asked him why he didn't listen to you when you had to talk to him, and he said because he knew what you were going to say. He knew you too well to listen to you. He also said, that he'd rather listen to Paul Bearer talk than to listen to any stupid explanation that you had to give him."  
  
"He's hurt, and for some reason I don't blame him. But honestly Trish, you need to call him, and if he doesn't pick up, leave him a message. It's your best bet to get him to listen to you. Fly to Tampa; corner him at his door. Don't give up on him Trish, you can't lose him."  
  
"I don't know...I'll think about it. But I'll talk to you in a couple days. I'll see you soon."  
  
"Don't give up...Never give up."  
  
Trish set down the phone on the base, and walked back to the living room. Her sister was trying to engage her in a conversation, but she didn't want to listen. She thought about what Lita had said before she hung up. 'Don't give up...Never give up.' She knew that giving up was not an option.  
  
¤The end of yet another chapter. I'm continuing the way I want to. I've got tons of ideas, and you all know that sooner or later its going to end. But, never fear, I plan on writing a few more Trish/Chris fics for all you shippers out there. I'm not going to let the 'heel' Trish on T.V affect the way I write, but I have to say it was quite hard to write this chapter! Okay, so review me! Sorry this chapter was late. I won't be updating after Raw anymore! Depends on the way the draft goes, but if all goes well, I'll have it updated two times a week now-still a shipper..Dakota¤ 


	13. The Cycle BeginsAgain

What's this I hear about Trish's heel turn being planned from the very beginning? AND Trish and Chris will probably end up getting back together! Can you believe after they do this to us at Wrestlemania, they may end up together once again! That would be the happiest day of my life! Okay so here's the next chapter of LYFN, and I hope you enjoy. Review it, it keeps me writing! Still a shipper:-)Bwahaha. Enjoy.  
  
_-_-_-_ The draft was over, and she didn't have to worry about being traded to Smackdown, possibly losing her chances of getting back together with Chris. Also so didn't have to worry about not being able to keep an eye on him. Lita and her made a deal that if Trish got traded Lita would gladly give up her spot to go to Smackdown instead of Trish. Not that it would really matter anyways. He hadn't even made eye contact with her since right after Wrestlemania.  
  
She hated the fact that she had to do that to him, yet she needed to for her job. She wanted to be with him, but keeping her job and being with him off screen was the way it had to be. She walked back down the hall, during a house show, taking off the Raw t-shit that she had on as a cape. Tossing it on the couch, and running her fingers through her long blonde locks, she walked into her locker room and turned on her lights. There was an envelope sitting on her table so she walked over and picked it up. Once she opened it, she recognized the writing. It was the same as the Valentine's card she'd gotten. As shocked as she was, she began to read it.  
  
'Trish,  
We need to talk. 9:30 tonight. Just be in the lobby okay?  
Chris'  
  
She folded it back up, and looked at her watch. It was only 8:30, but she needed to take a shower anyways. After a long hot shower, she still had a few minutes left until she had to be in the lobby, so she ran down the hall to Lita's room. She impatiently knocked on the door, and continued to yell for Lita. Lita finally opened the door, and laughed at Trish who was out of breath.  
  
"Lita...w-what did you s-say to h-him to get h-him to talk to m-me?"  
  
"Whoa, breathe first Trish. Now come sit down." Lita led Trish over to the couch, and sat down. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"This!" Trish handed Lita the note from Chris and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Why does he now want to talk to me after you talked to him. What did you say?"  
  
"I just told him that it wasn't what he thought it was, and that he needed to hear you out. He agreed. That's all it took Trish."  
  
"You told him this last week?"  
  
"No I told him this, this morning."  
  
"When did you see him this morning?!"  
  
"When I went to the gym Trish, calm down. He was just lifting some weights, and I started working out with him. We talked, and I asked him if he thought about what I said last week. He said he had, he just didn't want to talk to you then. So I told him that he needed to talk to you, before things between you got worse than they already were. Then when he still disagreed, I begged him."  
  
"Lita, did I ever tell you that you're my best friend?"  
  
"Plenty of times, but I never get tired of hearing it. Now get down in that lobby and wait for your man. Tell him all the right stuff, got it?"  
  
"Duh Li, thanks SO much. I owe you."  
  
"Big time." Trish ran out the door and to the lobby. They were still in the arena, and she didn't know if Chris would already be waiting for her. Once she got there, she saw that he wasn't so she found a bench and sat down. She waited a few minutes on the bench, then got up and paced around the lobby area. A few fans came out from the inside of the arena, and came up to Trish for an autograph. One of them had on a Sexy Beast shirt, and the other a 100% Stratusfaction Guaranteed shirt. She signed their stuff, and then took a couple pictures with them. A voice from behind her caught her attention, and she turned around to find Chris standing there.  
  
"Come with me." He turned back around and headed towards the parking lot. Running to catch up to him, she called his name, but no answer.  
  
"Chris, come on, if we're going to talk, you need to work with me. Please."  
  
He continued walking and then got into a car. She followed him, and also got in. He quickly drove out of the lot, and to the hotel. "Lita's bringing your bags back to the hotel, so don't worry. Turn your phone off, and your pager. If we're going to talk, we're not going to have any distractions."  
  
She hated the tone of his voice. The way he told her 'no distractions.' It sent chills up her spine, but she listened to him and turned them both off. Once back at the hotel, she still had to run to keep up with him. They went up to his room, and went in. He sat down on the chair, and turned on some music. Playing it softly he sat back in his chair.  
  
"Why did you want me to come with you, because last I knew you hated me."  
  
"I have one question, and then you can leave. Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me Trish. God, I may have been stupid to believe your games, but I know you know what I'm talking about. Why Trish?"  
  
"Oh..." She bit her bottom lip, and crossed her legs. "Chris, first of all, everything we shared together was real. I would never take it back for anything anyone gave me. But Chris, you have to understand, what I did was for us, as us. Not for us to be apart. I wanted to keep my job and still be able to see you. Vince told me, that if I helped you that night, I wouldn't have had a job the next day. He said he wanted to stir things up, and that was the way he had to do it. I wanted, and still want to be with you Chris, but you listen to what the boss says without question. Look me in the eye Chris, and see that I'm telling you the truth." He turned his head, and his blue eyes gazed at her. She could feel the tears coming on, and she knew that it would be hard to stop them. "You have to know Chris, that you mean more to me than anything in this entire world. And if I could go back, I would. Seeing how much this has affected the two of us as singles, and as a couple tears me up inside. Seeing you like this, so angry with me, it makes me hate myself so much. I can't do anything to change your mind about me, but Jesus Chris, you know me. You know that I love you..."  
  
Chris looked at her like he'd just seen a ghost. This was the first time she'd ever told him she loved him, and now wasn't the greatest time to do so. "I know I should've told you sooner, before all of this, but I was scared. Scared of losing you. Losing you just like I lost Jeff. And Chris, this is so hard. You know how upset I was when Jeff left, and being apart from you is just like losing Jeff all over again. He was my past, yes I do think about our relationship a lot, but if I would've never broken it off with him, I would've never have seen how great you were. The real Chris Jericho."  
  
A single tear slipped from his eye as he continued to stare at her. Not saying a word, he reached up and wiped his eyes. Not saying a word, he reached up and wiped his eyes. He let out a long sigh and turned his head to face the window.  
  
"Please say something Chris. I don't know what else I can tell you. I've said all I needed to say to you, and now this is all up to you to believe or not believe me. This is hard Chris, and I hate the fact that I've done all this to you. I hurt you and I'm sorry." The tears began streaming down her face as an uncontrollable emotion. "I'm so sorry Chris."  
  
With that, she got up out of her chair and rushed to the door. She heard him behind her stand up, so she turned around. He was walking towards her, also crying, and he put a hand on the doorknob. The tears continued to fall from his eyes, but he brought his hands up to her face. He wiped away the tears from her eyes and the hair in her face. She didn't know what he was going to do or say to her, but it had to be something hateful. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------:------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------- As the tears continued to fall from his eyes, he brought her hand up in his, and began to trace the lines. He took her hand in his, and led her back into the room. He sat down on the bed, and brought her down with him. Still holding onto her hand, he put his other arm around her waist, and brought her closer to him. Hugging her tight, he wanted to feel what he felt before Wrestlemania. If he could still feel it, it was meant to be. If he couldn't...then loving Trish is not what God had intended for him to do.  
  
He could feel it. The love he once felt for her was still there. The feelings that dwelled inside of him for so long still existed. The joy he got from just hearing her voice, her smelling her sweet scent. All of that was still there. She pulled back out of the embrace, and wiped away some of her tears.  
  
"Chris...what's going on?"  
  
"Just...j-just come h-here." She leaned back in and put her arms around his neck, letting him hug her. Right then and there he knew that she was truthful to him, but something inside of him still kept saying no. No, it wasn't right for him to be this forgiving right away. Only 10 days after she'd betrayed him. And now he was hugging her? Feeling those same feelings he once felt, only ten days after she'd hurt him. It was true love. Pure and simple.  
  
"Trish..." He began to speak, but didn't know the right words to say. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he didn't know how. He didn't know how to explain all the feelings he still had for her, or even how to say those three little words. 'It's funny how I can tell her I loved her when I'm mad at her, but when I want to tell her now I'm scared to death.'  
  
"Come on, please tell me. This is so hard for you not to say anything to me."  
  
"I can't...I try so hard to tell you things, and then when I open my mouth, they just don't come out. I need to tell you all these things that are in my heart, but I'm so scared Trish."  
  
"Scared of what?"  
  
"Of loving you."  
  
This caused Trish to begin to cry even harder. He knew that loving her was going to take sometime to get back to the way it used to be, but no matter what, he'd try his hardest to begin to trust her again. She completed him, and even if she didn't know that, it'd take time for him to be able to tell her.  
  
"Please don't be afraid Chris."  
  
"I want to be with you Trish, yes. But time...we need time to think, and we need time to be friends again. The level that we're at right now, is like love gone bad, and I don't want that to happen again. I believe what you said...When I hugged you...I felt it all over again. I felt everything I had felt from the first date we had, until the last day we talked. And being with you, just feels right. But now, I'm not so sure. I mean, yes I love...love you, and I probably always will. But can we at least have time, to grow back into that?"  
  
"Chris, you can take as much time as you want. Just know that I love you too. And know that you are the reason why everything in my life makes sense."  
  
He reached over and once again pulled her close to him. He kissed her softly on the cheek and worked his way over to her sweet lips. He hesitated a bit, but when she approved with a nod of her head, he pressed his lips to hers. Not holding onto it for very long, just long enough to be able to recognize what he had in front of him. He broke the kiss, and held her in his arms.  
  
"So what now?"  
  
"Well, I'm about ready to go to bed. I'm exhausted."  
  
"And...?"  
  
"Chris, what are you thinking?"  
  
"Well, we didn't eat. Or at least I didn't eat. And I'm hungry."  
  
"Point?"  
  
"Trish, this is why you make me feel this way. You're just so..."  
  
"Demanding? Selfish? Funny?"  
  
"I was gonna say beautifully playful, but those words work as well. I'm going to go get something to eat. Are you going to stay here...or should I plan on staying by myself?"  
  
"Well, it all depends ya know. What are you going to bring me to eat?"  
  
He leaned in towards her and kissed her on the forehead. "It's a surprise. But if you're here when I get back, you'll get that surprise." He stood up off the bed and went towards the door for his shoes. She followed him for her own, and put her coat on.  
  
"I'm going to go get my stuff to stay...overnight. I'll be here when you get back, but do you have an extra keycard?"  
  
"Yeah, it's on that table over there. See you in a little while."  
  
Chris kissed her once again on the forehead and walked out of the room. Down the hall he saw a few of his fellow co-workers, and new Raw member Shelton Benjamin. He didn't really talk to him at any of the pay-per views, but he seemed like a good guy.  
  
"Hey Shelton, if I didn't tell you already, welcome to Raw."  
  
"Thanks Chris. Where ya heading?"  
  
"Just to get some food."  
  
"Sounds like fun, have a good night."  
  
"Yeah you too."  
  
Chris continued walking down the hall, and waited for the elevator to get to the floor. Once it stopped and the doors opened he became face to face with one of his best friends.  
  
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. An old canucklehead known as Edge. How ya doing man?" Chris extended his hand out to Edge to shake it. Edge accepted and put his hand in Chris's.  
  
"Pretty good. How about yourself?"  
  
"Well, I don't think I could be any better. Had a pretty good night. Got a lot of things straightened out in my life, and now I couldn't ask for a better thing."  
  
"So you talked to her?"  
  
"Talked, made up, made out, you know that whole drill. But on a serious note, I mean I'm just so happy now. She's incredible, and I can't believe I just wouldn't listen to her in the first place."  
  
"I'm happy for you bro. I'm glad you found what you were looking for all along. You deserve someone as great as her. Let's just hope that her on- screen relationship with the CLB doesn't affect yours more than it already has. So, I'll let you get back to where you were going. I'm kind of tired so I'm going to hit the sack. Want to ride together in the morning? Catch up on old times?"  
  
"Of course. I mean, the whole thing with Trish is, beginning...again, and well, I told her I needed time. So yeah sure. We'll have fun! See you in the morning."  
  
"Alright, night."  
  
Edge and Chris shook hands one more time, and Chris got on the elevator. Riding down he couldn't have felt any better. One of his best friends was back, and on the show that he was on. He stayed on Raw without getting drafted. And him and Trish were beginning again. The cycle that their relationship had gone in was going around again. He wasn't sure how long it would last, but while it was going he couldn't have asked for a better person to share his time with. Better yet, he couldn't think of a better girl to love.  
  
She was everything he was looking for in woman. Honesty, truth, a great friend, a good listener, and of course she was beautiful. All of the other girls in his life wasted his time. He spent too much time looking for the right one, when the right one was in front of him the entire time.  
  
Getting off the elevator, Chris started humming to himself. Trish and him, friends first. Who knows where their relationship would leave. He knew that she was the perfect woman, and hell maybe they'd even end up married and with kids somewhere down the road. Who knows? Driving around town after picking up his dinner, he searched for songs on the radio. Finding a good rock station, he heard the song "The Reason" by Hoobastank. It was a perfect song for the way he felt about Trish so he turned up the volume.  
  
Back at the hotel, he was just getting into his room. It was dark, all except for one lamp that was on. He walked in, looking around for Trish. He spied her lying in his bed, sleeping. He brushed his hair back out of his face, and walked over to the bedside. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead.  
  
"Love you...for now." He whispered gently as she lie there sleeping. He walked back over to the table, and sat down. Grinning from ear to ear he began eating his dinner. The cycle of their relationship...was beginning.  
  
Again.  
  
¤After finishing writing this lovely chapter, I've decided to end this fic. Don't worry, I plan on a sequel. You see, this fic is basically a cycle of their relationship, and that's where I planed on going. This is one complete rotation of that cycle, and it needs to end here. I practically cried writing this ending. And no it's not a Mary Popins bag so it does have an ending. And this is it. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Always stay shippers, even if they don't end up back together! Thanks for all the great reviews. I loved them!-Forever a shipper..~Dakota¤ 


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